Home Remedies for Cats With Hearing or Vision Loss
Cats can lose hearing or vision in accidents, as a result of disease, or because of birth defects. Reactions to some medications or lack of oxygen during birth can also impair hearing and sight.If a cat doesn't get enough of the amino acid taurine in her diet, her retinas (the layer of light-sensitive cells inside the eyeball that send messages about sight to the brain) can deteriorate, causing blindness. All-white cats with blue eyes have a high risk of being deaf, a condition related to Waardenburg syndrome in humans. White cats with yellow eyes or one blue eye have a greater than normal chance of being deaf, although not as likely as blue-eyed white cats.
 ©2006 Publications International, Ltd. White cats with yellow eyes are more likely to develop hearing problems. |
Find the reason. When vision starts going bad because of diet, switching to the right kind of food can often stop -- but not reverse -- the deterioration. On the other hand, cataracts (cloudy lenses in the eyes) can be corrected surgically, just like in humans. A thorough veterinary exam can determine if a cat's hearing loss is treatable (for example, an obstruction in the ear canal like impacted wax, ear mite debris, or a tumor) or not.
Make adjustments. Incredibly, blind cats can eventually figure out the layout of their home by touch. You may want to keep a blind cat restricted to certain rooms or levels of the house to avoid accidental tumbles down stairs or exits out external doors. Once a blind cat learns the lay of the land at home, do your utmost not to change anything. If a door is usually open, leave it open. If furniture has to be moved for some reason, put it back where it was. A blind cat relies on landmarks that are at cat level -- just a few inches off the floor -- so even something as simple as leaving shoes in the hallway can throw her off.
Seeing (and feeling) is believing. Deaf cats process the world through their sense of sight and touch. The feline eye perceives moving objects better than stationary ones, so deaf cats take particular pleasure in making things move -- especially downward from high places to shatter below. The thuds, crashes, and smashes that would send a hearing cat running for cover are lost on a deaf cat. Any visually stimulating thing is particularly interesting to deaf cats, so their owners should take note and try to provide them -- or to prevent them, if they're unsafe or unwelcome. For example, owners should remove breakable knickknacks from shelves so ambitious cats can't knock them off.
Sound is felt as vibrations in the deaf world. You may not be able to get your cat's attention by calling her name, or you may not be able to reprimand her with a sharp "No!" However, you can do both by stamping your foot or knocking on whatever surface the cat happens to occupy.
The golden years. All the senses and body functions slow down with advancing age, and hearing and vision are no exceptions. Once a cat passes middle age (anywhere from six to ten years old), expect her to lose a little of her edge. The difference with an elderly cat whose vision or hearing has gone down is that her other faculties have diminished, too, and she can't adapt as well. She also has a lifetime habit of relying on full-functioning eyes and ears. At that point, the most important ingredient for dealing with a blind or deaf cat is patience -- she's doing the best she can with what she has.
When to Call the Vet
If your cat seems to be less responsive to sound, bumps into things, or her pupils stay dilated even in bright light, contact your vet for an evaluation.
DANGER LEVEL: Deafness and blindness themselves are not dangerous. However, deaf and blind cats are at a serious disadvantage once they leave the familiarity of their own home. It's not only extremely dangerous to let a deaf or blind cat outdoors unattended, it's cruel.
When your cat is struggling with a minor illness, it's good to know a few things you can do at home to alleviate the symptoms. However, as with all medical conditions, serious problems need to be seen by a professional immediately.
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